Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1887-07-23
a TERRTBLE RrRD oE 80.
The Mosquito Is Re q IA Texas and South
eastern Missouri
- - Tlmal-


New York EimsaI
The Texas mosquito is q giant IN size
/ compared with his Jersey brother, and
| he hOeks more closely and In vaster
| clouds than the later. He seldom both
/ ers moving trains, but let q passenger
train come to halle within his domain
/ and he simply crowds il to suffOcation
| and desperation. He is not disposed of
with one slap. He overeomaE his VIC
/ tim by brute force and numbers. A de-
| lay Of i've minutes to a train VIII enable
him to transform lot Of peaceably-dis-
| posed clear-skinned, and well-featured
/ passengers INTO a mob of mOttled and
yYlld-eyed maniacs. who fight with the
! desperation of despair against an enemy
/ who can only be driven from the battle
/ field by a gale Of wind. Every window
| Is thrown wide open; towels, handker-
/ chiefs, shaWls, and coats are frantically
waved against the invaders battalions,
but to no purpose, until the engineer
has received his signal to start and the
train has attained a speed Of at least
thirty miles an hour against a head
wind The Texas mosquito is a slayer
he Is a glutton; he never knows when
he has enough Of blood or fighting; he
Is bore more effective than the dia-
state Commerce specialist.
Yet he has a rival The rival dwells
IN Southeastern Missouri, where game,
sWamps, miasma, and Shakes" abound.
The Missouri mosquito has a bill like a
stlIetto, but longer and more incisiVe.
He Is tOng-hmbed and lank, like thena-
/ tive, and welcomes death with q grin,
| apparently satisfied that no hereafter
could contain a more miserable state of
existence than Southeastern Missouri
Not long ago a hunting party pitched
its camp there after q hard days work.
1t was soon discovered that a harder
nights work was in prospect. The
mosquitoes came down upon them IN
solid layers. Each member of the party
/ covered face, neck, and hands with tur-
pentine and stood in the smoke of an
immense fire that had been built as a
protection against the enemy. As they
stood inhaling smoke and mosquitoes
two natives hove in sight.
1t was noticed that the mosqui-
toes which lowered about them gave
them no concern. The man was tall
and lean. His garments consisted of a
butternut shirt, Jeans trousers, cowhide
boots. and ragged straw hat. The wo-
man was tall and lank, like her lord.
Like him she was tOW-headed, and her
skin, like his, was notified. He walked
behind with the air Of a man who was
in every way worthless and he knew it.
She walked with her head up, industri-
Ously and scientifically, but not grace
fully, working her "snuff-stick." She
paid no attention to the man except
once, when she demanded a "chaw f
terbacker." The man was her slave as
well as her husband. Yet among those
who knew him he was considered able
to whip his weight IN wildcats, and he
soon showed the hunting party that as
pain-bearer he was out of sight of any
of its members unless the skin was fire.
proof.
One Of the hunters jokingly offered
him bottle of whisky if he would take
his shirt off and lie down near a log
where the mosquitoes were knee deep
for thirty minutes. The man looked at
his wife. She nodded. He stripped
and lay down on the ground, back up.
The mosquitoes settled upon his bare
back and hid it from sight. The hunt
ers forgot their stings in gazing at the
astonishing spectacle. For fifteen min
utes the man never stirred. The hunt
ers began to believe his skin was sensi-
tive to nothing. To satisfy themselves
one of the number picked up q couple
of live Goals on a bit of bark and care
fully dropped them on the mans back,
between the shoulder blades.
One, two, three seconds passed and
the man showed no signs of life. Then
light Sizing sound was heard and the
smell of the wood fire was overcome by
a more pungent OdOr. The man lifted
lifted head and looked backward. He was
a small curl Of smoke rising from his
back. He arose with deliberatiOn,
shook himself and put on his butternut
shirt. 1t was supposed from his man
ner that his sense of right and not his
skin was injured. This proved to be
the case. He had agreed, he explained,
in his frightful Vernacular, to "buck
agin' skeeters and not gallinippers."
He was walking away in belief that he
hadn't fulfilled his contract when he
was presented with bottle Of whisky.
He looked at It with longing eyes and
then stole a stealthy glance at his wife.
She reached out her hand. He gave
her the bottle. She pulled the cork
out with her teeth and took a drink.
She held the bottle while her lord took
a swallow, then recOrking the bottle
put it under her arm and resumed her
march. The man who had no respect
for mosquitoes followed meekly.
In the opinion of a man who has in
vesigated, always against his viii, the
mosquitoes Of about thirty States and
Territories, to say nothing Of the neigh
boring Dominion, it Is a close call be-
tween the MissOUrian and Texan varie-
ties, and that In comparison to either
the Jersey mosquito is a thing to be
cherished as balm for sleeplessness.